Film release and braking roller



May 27, 1969 5. E. ROSCA' FILM RELEASE AND BRAKING ROLLER Filed April 26, 1967 FIG. I

INVENTOR. GEORGE E. ROSOA if, KM

U.S. Cl. 242-55 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A freely rotatable idler roller is located parallel to an arbor or other support for a roll of film used for packaging, and this idler roller is near the arbor. The outside lap of the roll of film is threaded outside of the idler roller enroute to the packaging machinery so that as film is drawn from the roll the idler roller separates it from the adjacent film. The separation is only temporary because the film is then brought back into contact with the new outer ply on the roll before final separation from the rolLThe idler roller is intended primarily for use with film which is somewhat tacky. It 'not only temporarily separates the film from the roll but also brakes the roll after each successive withdrawal of film from it.

The invention relates to an idler roller located under the outside lap of a roll of packaging film, and is most advantageously used with tacky film. It serves both as a release roller and a braking roller. The invention includes the idler roller in combination with an arbor or other support for the roll of film, and the method of using it.

It has been difficult to separate tacky film from a roll of the film on a packaging machine. After unrolling and cutting off a desired length of the film for use, the roll is apt to continue to roll and reverse-wind the unused end of the film which has been separated from the roll interfering with the subsequent separation of another length of the film for use.

The tackiness in packaging film is generally due to plasticizer in the film, such as a vinyl film. If this film has been stretched, and most thin packaging films have been stretched to reduce their thickness, the film tends to shrink on being heated which may readily occur in storage or on shipment, particularly in warm weather. Thus, adjacent laps in a roll of the film may adhere to one another sufiiciently to require the application of substantial force to unwind the film for use. The release and braking roller may be used with any film.

The idler roller of this invention facilitates .such separation. It is located adjacent to the arbor or other film support on a packaging machine and is parallel to it. When a roll of the film is put on the arbor the outer lap is threaded over the idler roller and is then brought back into contact with the roll of film so that as the film is unwound from the roll the idler roller separates the outer lap from strong adherence to the balance of the roll.

Also, when sufiicient film for any one operation has been removed from a roll of paper, for instance, or film which is not tacky, the roll continues to rotate and reverse-wind the loose end of the film. The idler roll of this invention when usedwith tacky film prevents this.

The outer lap of the film adheres to the roll, and. when the withdrawal of film from the roll is terminated the idler roller serves as a brake as will be better understood with reference to the descrition of the accompanying drawings. which follows.

The idler roller may be used on a cantilevered arbor or on an arbor which is supported at both ends. Any usual arbor construction may be employed. Usually there will States Patent 0 ice be a plurality of arbors so that by providing a roll of film on each it is not necessary to stop the packaging operation to remove the tube on which is a used roll had been wound and replace it with a fresh roll. The film may be homogeneous or coated. It may be any width and the roll may be of any diameter.

In the drawings- FIGURE 1 is a plan view of the portion of a packaging machine to which the invention relates; and

FIGURE 2 is an elevation of the same, omitting the motor.

In the drawing, the frame Sof a packaging machine supports the cantilevered elements which are shown. The arbor 7 supports the roll 8 of soft, tacky film which is usually wound on a cardboard tube which is not shown. The arbor is rotated by motor 9 through suitable gear reduction means in box 10. The idler roller 11 (referred to herein as a release and braking roller) is fastened to the frame a spaced distance from the arbor, and is parallel to it.

In the particular arrangement shown'in the drawing, a festoon rod 12, pivoted to the frame 5 at its bottom, supports the idler 13. The film is threaded over the idler 15, around the movable idler l3, and then over rollers 16 and 17 and the platform 18 or whatever other equipment the packaging machine provides.

In using the equipment, the roll 8 is placed on the arbor 7. The outer ply is temporarily separated from the roll a short distance and brought around the release and braking idler 11. The end of the film is then threaded over the idlers 15 and 13, bringing the temporarily separated film back into contact with the roll, and then it is delivered for use at the platform 18. The pull of the film on the idler 13 tends to swing the rod 12 toward the idler 15 against the tension of a spring (not shown). A microswitch (not shown) actuated by the positioning of the rod 12 operates the motor 9 which drives the arbor 7. Thus the rotation of the arbor and film roll 8 is controlled by the tension on the film. If the release and braking roller 11 is omitted, the tension on the film due to the adhesion of the outer lap of film to the balance .of the roll is apt to hold the rod 12 toward the idler 15 against the tension of the spring, and maintain the motor 9 in operation, cauing the film to reverse-wind on the roll 8. However, by using the idler 11 to break thefirm adherence of the outer ply of the film to the balance of the roll, which has occurred during storage, no substantial adherence occurs between the idler l1 and the location at which the film finally leaves the roll 8. This location will be between about and 270 from the location of the idler 11. The tension caused by any slight adherence at the final separation of the film from the roll may, for example, never be greater than two ounces. By pulling the rod 12 away from'idler 15 by a spring which exerts a pull of less than two ounces on the rod 12, the rod will swing back and forth as the film is unrolled, energizing the switch which controls the motor so that it alternates between the ON and OFF, positions, delivering film from the roll 8 only as needed. Thus the roll 8 is rotated in only one direction. It is never rotated to reverse-wind the film unless special means is provided for rotating the roll in the reverse direction for some special operation.

As the roll 8 unwinds, the idler 11 releases the outer ply of the film from the balance of the roll. Realizing that this outer ply is adhered to the roll just before it reaches the roll 11, it is readily understood how the roll 11 serves as a brake. The unseparated film adheres to the roll, and the idler 11 stands in the way of its reverse-winding on the roll 8. In order to reverse-wind, the portion of the, film between the idler 11 and the location where the film finally separates from the roll would have to slip back.-

ward over the balance of the roll. For obvious reasons tinued revolution of the roll due to the adherence of the it does not do this. unseparated film to the roll,

The invention is covered in the claim which follows.

licl ii ifini h d f d k fil f H References Cited e met 0 o unwin ing tac y m rom a re thereof, which method comprises threading the end of 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS the outer ply of the roll of film (1) over an idler roller 3,347,480 10/1967 P close to the roll and parallel to its axis, (2) then bringing 3,344,740 10/1967 Hllton 101223 the inner surface of this end back into contact with the circumferential surface of the roll, (3) then, finally sepa- 10 FOREIGN PATENTS rating the ply from contact with the roll as the film is un- 815,851 10/ 1951 Germany,

rolled therefrom and (4) when the withdrawal of the film from the balance of the roll is terminated, braking con- LEONARD D. CHRISTIAN, Primary Examiner. 

